Steinbach, Yates Both Turn Up On Mock Draft

Demonstrating how much firepower the Huskies have this season, ESPN also included UW sophomore Wesley Yates III in its 60 draft picks, putting the 6-foot-4 guard at No. 46 and going to the Toronto Raptors.

For Steinbach, it's not the first time someone has suggested he will be a one-and-done Husky and immediately become an NBA player.

"I don't try to pay too much attention to it because I think it's uncertain," he said, offering a diplomatic response. "I'm excited to play my game and win games for U-Dub and have fun with my teammates."

Steinbach, however, acknowledged he could play anywhere from a single season to four seasons for the Huskies (4-1).

So mobile and fundamentally sound, Steinbach was off to a highly productive start to his college career until he sprained an ankle last week against Washington State in Pullman.

In four games, he's averaged 14.5 points and 12.8 rebounds an outing. He had a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double showing in the UW's 81-69 victory over WSU, playing much of that game with his injured ankle.

Yates, who began his career at the UW, played for USC last season and returned to Seattle, averages 16.8 points per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor.

With Steinbach sidelined, Yates stepped up and scored a team-high 22 points to lead the Huskies to that two-overtime win over Southern.

If his ESPN projection was correct, he will head north of the border to Canada to join a Toronto franchise off to a 10-5 start this season.

Yates would do what Steinbach is doing now -- play his basketball in a foreign country.